Big Market, Jasper thought, was overwhelming. He had no idea how anyone could focus long enough to purchase anything. It filled the vast enclosure to overflowing with nearly a million merchant stalls and millions of things one could purchase. He was presently on the Market’s main street, open to the sunlight, but a quick glance around revealed that there were not just myriad shops, there were myriad levels. A lift zipped by to one side, ferrying beaming customers to new sights.The cacophony of aliens of every description hawking things that Jasper couldn't even imagine filled his ears. Here, under a carved stone arch, a pale humanoid with an elongated head was selling small clouds, securely fastened by small rope lassos about their forms. A little storm was gathering inside one of them as Jasper passed.A large blue alien with tiny eyes on large stalks stood wearing very human-looking clothes upon which were affixed an inordinate number of buttons. His entire shop, in fact, appeared

The creature's eyes widened and it squealed gleefully, wriggling in excitement and extending a small forepaw through the bars. "We will pay you!" cried Tsûuri. His voice trembled with emotion. "I'm sure you will," Igon said, with false kindness. "You're honest, valiant people." One hand went to his chin as he added, "But this… thing… is priceless. What can you give me in exchange that could really be worth giving this up?" Tsûuri hesitated. Then he took a small white spherical object out of a pouch at his side.Her pale fingers cupping radiant spheres and bathing her perfect face with them. Fishermen, harvesting pearls in tiny nets, bringing them joyfully to shore— Jasper angrily wrenched himself out of the dream recollection. Tsûuri held the object in his gloved fingers for a moment, then set it down in front of Igon. The "antiques dealer" delicately picked it up in one great hand. The other reached for a large magnifying glass lying on the table. Siruss peered at the pearl through t

Lumwak's duty shift at Siruss's "shop" was not due to begin for over an hour, and he was permitting himself a much-needed break. The pay was good, excellent in fact, but Lumwak could not help but notice the high attrition rate of the crime lord's "staff."Lumwak considered himself a bit of a philosopher—something unusual among the Kodhar'Khans. And after three years of working for Igon here in Big Market, he had formed a philosophy about it. He leaned back in the café seat, sipping something sludgy and potent and wonderful while his enormous gun—which ensured his privacy; few wanted to chitchat with someone who had his weapon out and obvious—lay on the table within easy reach and examined his thoughts as he watched the tourists bustle and buy.There were three kinds of people who came to Big Market per Lumwak's philosophy. One was the original, intended customer base: tourists, with too much money and too much room in their homes, who wanted the delight of visiting a thousand worlds w

The next several minutes or... however long it was, were a blur. Igon Siruss's team was highly coordinated, restricted, apparently, only by the fact that they seemed to want to take the spatio-temporal agent alive. For now, at least. Siruss struck him as someone who could easily change his mind about such niceties.So for now, Jasper ran. He scrambled onto the virtual representations of expensive antiques, launching his rubber-soled feet off the heads of ancient alien rulers to scrabble atop a roof. He ran across illusionary old tiles, unable to see his own body—well, most of it, anyway. He tried to judge if his single available arm was strong enough to grab onto a thick, dangling creeper and swing from one faux rooftop to another—or in one case, crash through a window right in the middle of what appeared to be a formal ceremony involving priceless dishware, which he shattered."It's okay," he shouted back over his shoulder, "remember, they're only virtually real dishes!"This appeare

Igon Siruss did not often move swiftly, and even when he did, it was not particularly fast. His guards had notified him that they had Agent Jasper trapped, and he had come with mild rapidity. Now he stood at the end of the street, but all he saw were some unhappy-looking guards and some dead—or baffled—Pit-Ghors, who scampered around, futilely sniffing the ground."Sorry, boss," one of his Kodhar'Khans said."He made it to his world," another supplied. "We're not sure how, but he did."Fury welled inside Igon. His first impulse was to rip the guards apart with his bare hands. He could; it was messy and he preferred to leave that sort of thing to others, but he certainly could.But no. There would be time to deal with them later.He had learned a human saying a long time ago: Revenge is a dish best served cold. Most of the time, Igon found this to be true. But not today. Today, he wanted his revenge swiftly, speedily, and preferably bloodily."Bring me a Megaptor!" he roared.*****Maj